hypocrisy

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June 21, 2023 by 2 Comments

The gun control industry is always pushing for new laws and regulations. You would think that they would also be interested in seeing existing laws being enforced as well as seeing equal justice under the law for “gun crimes”.

Given the release yesterday of news about Hunter Biden’s plea deal regarding his lying on the Form 4473 about his drug use, you would think that the major players such as Everytown, Giffords, and Brady would have something to say about it. Biden and prosecutors agreed to a Pretrial Diversion Agreement whereby the felony charge is dismissed if he complies with the agreement.

It seems that the gun control industry did have stuff to say yesterday but none of it involving the President’s wayward son.

Everytown said the shootings on Juneteenth highlighted the need “for action on gun violence (sic)”. On Twitter, they talked about stuff like so-called safe storage laws, urged the Senate to not to vote against Biden’s pistol brace ban, and touted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Nothing was said about Hunter Biden nor was anything said about how an African-American mom was facing a probable 2-year sentence for the same crime as Biden.

Moving on to the Cult of Personality known as Giffords, what did they have to say about Biden. Nothing. Rather they lauded the Oregon legislature for passing legislation against DIY firearms which they call “ghost guns” (sic). On Twitter, the only mention of Biden by them was to say they knew the President would make good on his promise to work against “gun violence” (sic).

Finally, there is Brady United. Their only press releases were to say they are suing a gun store in Michigan regarding a straw purchase and that they have a new initiative to “harness ad agency and media company talent” to change America’s “gun culture narrative.” Herr Goebbels was not available for comment on the new initiative. Their Twitter feed had nothing about either Biden but a few posts on “Ask Day” which demands that parents ask other parents if they have firearms. Personally, I think they should be pushing for 100% tax credits for gun safes with no dollar limit but that’s just me.

I should note here that both the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued strongly worded statements denouncing the plea deal. Both pointed out the failure of the Biden Justice Department to uphold the law when it involved the President’s son.

So to sum it up, when the gun control industry had a chance to speak out about the failure to keep a firearm out of the hands of a person under the influence of drugs, they punted. They did not want to upset their cozy relationship with the Biden Administration by casting any aspersions upon either Biden father or Biden son.

Hypocrisy today, hypocrisy tomorrow, hypocrisy forever is their motto.

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Do As I Say, Not As I Do

June 10, 2023 by 2 Comments

Shannon Watts is always good for some snark about hypocrisy. First, she was against concealed carry on campus but her older daughter attended Colorado State University, at least for a while, where it is legal.

Now she has announced she plans to go on a cruise. Will it be to an area where guns are banned like much of the Caribbean? Nope, it will be to Alaska where not only are guns prevalent but they have constitutional carry.

Thanks to “Bad Gun Control Takes” for pointing this out in a tweet.

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Shannon Watts’ Nose Is Out Of Joint

October 20, 2022 by 1 Comment

CNN announced yesterday that they were establishing a “Guns in America” beat. In somewhat of a surprise, it isn’t totally filled with gun prohibitionists. That fact has the Shannon Watts and the rest of the gun prohibitionists in a tizzy.

From Deadline:

Josh Campbell will lead CNN’s new “Guns in America” beat, one of the new initiatives announced earlier this year by CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht.

Providing reporting and analysis to the beat will be figures from a range of points of view, including Stephen Gutowski, the founder of firearms reporting site (The) Reload; Jennifer Mascia from The Trace, which covers the impact of gun violence; and Abené Clayton, reporter on the The Guardian’s Guns and Lies in America project.

CNN said that the team “will explore who buys and sells guns; who makes and regulates them; and dive into the communities most impacted to help illuminate possible solutions to America’s epidemic of gun violence.”

It is the addition of Stephen Gutowski, a reporter who is not ignorant about firearms, that has her and the rest of her ilk so outraged.

(click on the embedded tweet to see the full comments from Shannon Watts)

Then this array of comments on The Wrap:

This sentiment was echoed by many others, with one user saying the hire, who will join the Guns in America beat, “a new beat dedicated to tracking and unpacking all aspects of the complex and divisive issues surrounding guns and gun violence in the country,” according to CNN, was like getting “paychecks for the price of innocent lives,” considering his approval rating from the NRA. Another user tweeted “CNN hires gun nut for gun analysis,” while others insisted Gutowski’s hire would end their CNN viewership. “No thanks @CNN,” one user wrote. “I will not be watching ANY of your programs. NONE.”

Therein lies the problem for them. They don’t want to hear anything that challenges their narrative about firearms. It is like they all live on the set of the Truman Show and their favorite song is Home on the Range because “seldom is heard, a discouragin’ word”.

I have known Stephen for a few years now. I have always found him to be a serious, sober, and fair-minded journalist. Yes he does provide an alternative perspective on firearms issues. Moreover, despite the charge of being “NRA approved”, he has never shied away from criticism of the NRA, its leadership, and the board when criticism is due. I think he will acquit himself well even though it will be two against one.

He said this on The Reload to which I’m a paid subscriber about being an analyst for CNN in addition to continuing his work on The Reload:

I’m excited about the opportunity to work with many solid reporters and reach a new audience. I’ve long criticized how major media outlets have reported on firearms. A severe lack of knowledge about guns, gun owners, gun laws, and even gun politics is endemic throughout the industry.

But I’ve also long been an advocate of engaging with other reporters to help foster a more informed media. I’ve contributed stories to outlets across the political spectrum. I’ve given advice to writers at every one of the top news outlets in the country and even taken many to the range for first-hand experience.

So, I’m glad to get a chance to put that worldview into practice on a greater scale than ever before.

What makes this whole faux-outrage by Shannon Watts so amusing is that the president of Everytown of which her organization is a part and that of The Trace are one and the same. Thanks to Rob Romano for pointing that out.

If Shannon couldn’t engage in hypocrisy, then she would be left with nothing.

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Tweet Of The Day

August 20, 2021 by 2 Comments

It seems that Everytown Law and the Brady United are trying to get the Federal Trade Commission to come down on Smith & Wesson for false advertising. You can read their letter here.

However, as Rob Romano of the Firearms Policy Coalition points out, their argument might backfire on them elsewhere. That said, neither Everytown nor Brady have any problem with hypocrisy.

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Expect CSGV To Shout “Insurrectionist!” For The Next 4 Years

December 23, 2020 by 4 Comments

The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (sic) must be ecstatic. The presumed election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will allow them to return to using their favorite epithet from the Obama years.

Insurrectionist!

If you criticized the Lightbringer, you were an insurrectionist. If you were pro-gun, you were an insurrectionist. If you knew the purpose of the Second Amendment was to stand up to a tyrannical government, you were an insurrectionist.

Josh Horwitz, the head of CSGV, wrote long diatribes in the Huffington Post accusing the gun rights activists and especially the NRA of being insurrectionists. He even wrote a whole book on it.

They suffered through four long years of the Trump Administration where they couldn’t use the term “insurrectionist”. While there was true insurrection going on in the bowels of the Deep State, that couldn’t be criticized because, you know, Orange Man Bad. Besides, that was resistance and not insurrection. Resistance was good and proper in their febrile brains.

However, it seems there was a protest by conservatives in Oregon. As the tweet below indicates, that must be insurrection. It is hypocritical given how they have ignored the violence wrought by Antifa just 50 miles up the road in Portland. However, hypocrisy and the gun control lobby have long been friends so I guess it is par for the course.

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When A Demcrat Says He Won’t Ban Your Guns, Look Closer

October 7, 2018 by 2 Comments

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Phillip Price is the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina. He will be facing incumbent Rep. Mark Meadows (D-NC-11). I would be in Meadows’ district if I lived a mere 10 miles further south.

Price owns a company that deals in reclaimed lumber as well as continues to be a touring musician with his band called D. S. F. Earthcorps. He is also a self-proclaimed hunter and has been running the following ad on local TV stations saying no one is coming for his guns or your guns.

In a section on his campaign website called “Vision”, he devotes a page to “Common Sense & Guns” which features a banner photo of the Demanding Moms for Illegal Mayors. As he makes clear, he has their endorsement. Here is what he says on that page:

Gun Reform

Our schools, churches, movie theaters and concert venues are becoming targets for gun violence, and it is no longer enough to offer thoughts and prayers. We need change, and it is up to our elected officials to create it.

That’s why I support sensible gun reforms. I want to close the loopholes on background checks to buy weapons and ban gun purchases for those who have a history of domestic violence, violent mental illness or animal abuse. We must restore the ban on those semiautomatic weapons that have been used in so many attacks, and get rid of the large capacity magazines and bump stocks that make it even easier to hit multiple victims so quickly.

I’m a hunter and a gun owner and I stand with most Americans who already support these commonsense changes in policy.

After reviewing the campaign’s stance, I recently received the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction, acknowledging my support for real reform.

If my vision reflects your vision, won’t you please volunteer or contribute to our campaign? Working together, our vision can become reality.

Not coming for your guns? Really? He says one thing on TV and figures he can tell the real story on his website because few people will read it.

Given his past run-ins with the law regarding marijuana possession, there are real questions as to whether he is a prohibited person or not. I don’t think most voters would take kindly to a prohibited person telling them they can’t have a semi-auto rifle, pistol, or carbine. Would you?

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Larry Tribe Believes In Free Speech (When He Agrees With It)

August 12, 2018 by

Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe is one of those liberal lions in academia. He’s put out leading books on the Constitution, testified before Congress, advocated for free speech, and is a hypocrite.

What was that last part?

Hypocrite as in saying he is an advocate for free speech but doesn’t believe that code is free speech.

This from a guy who argues that it would be wrong for the FCC and Congress to regulate violent TV programs as it would violate free speech. He has also has written law articles entitled “The Metatheory of Free Speech”.

Tribe’s argument in the Everytown amicus brief is that code is not protected because it isn’t “expressive” and because its purposes are the “widespread violations of federal and state law”.

Sorry but just because you are the Carl M. Loeb University Professor and Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School doesn’t mean you are right.

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North Carolina Police Chiefs Against Reciprocity

April 30, 2018 by 2 Comments

It is not news that many big city police chiefs are against national reciprocity for concealed carry. Earlier in April, the International Association of Chiefs of Police sent a letter to Congress expressing their disapproval for HR 38 and S. 446.

What should be news is the hypocrisy of those chiefs from North Carolina who have signed on to the letter. It is hypocritical to argue against reciprocity for North Carolinans with valid permits visiting any other state when North Carolina law recognizes ALL permits from other states. In other words, North Carolina General Statute § 14-415.24 (a) provides for universal reciprocity for out-of-state permits.

If your police chief listed below is one of the signatories to the letter, you might want to ask him or her why they think North Carolinians should have the same rights accorded to visitors to this state.

Police Chief Bernette Morris, Morehead City Police Department, Morehead City, NC


Chief of Police and Executive Director for Community Safety Christopher C. Blue, Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Hill, NC


Chief of Police Monroe Wagoner, Elkin Police Department, Elkin, NC


Chief of Police Gina Hawkins, Fayetteville Police Department, Fayetteville, NC


Chief of Police Jeff Prichard, Graham Police, Graham, NC


Chief Wallace W. Layne, Holden Beach Police, Holden Beach, NC


Chief of Police Timothy R. Summers, Kernersville Police Department, Kernersville, NC


Chief of Police Joel Johnson, Kitty Hawk Police Department, Kitty Hawk, NC


Chief of Police Allen Lawrence, Marion Police Department, Marion, NC


Chief of Police Tim Ledford, Mint Hill Police Department, Mint Hill, NC


Chief of Police James Wilson, Norwood Police Department, Norwood, NC


Chief of Police Ryan James Thompson, Pine Knoll Shores Police Department, Pine Knoll Shores, NC


Chief of Police Robert Hassell, Reidsville Police Department, Reidsville, NC


Chief of Police Kenneth J. Klamar, Sunset Beach Police, Sunset Beach, NC


Chief Daniel Wilcox, Cape Fear Community College PD, Wilmington, NC


Chief of Police Timothy J. Wenzel, Aberdeen Police Department, Aberdeen, NC


Chief of Police John Letteney, Apex Police Department, Apex, NC


Chief of Police Paul D. Burdette Jr., Beaufort Police Department, Beaufort, NC


Chief of Police John Phillip Harris, Jr., City of Brevard Police Department, Brevard, NC


Chief of Police Walter Horton, Carrboro Police Department, Carrboro, NC


Chief of Police James A. Reese, Emerald Isle Police Department, Emerald Isle, NC



Chief of Police Laura Fahnestock, Fuquay-Varina Police Department, Fuquay-Varina, NC


Chief of Police Ronald L Matthews, Garland Police Department, Garland, NC


Chief of Police Brandon Zuidema, Garner PD, Garner, NC


Chief of Police Michael Andrew Winters, Long View Police Department, Long View, NC


Chief of Police Erik S. McGinnis, Misenheimer Police Dept., Misenheimer, NC


Chief of Police David Ng, WakeMed Campus Police and Public Safety, Raleigh, NC


Police Chief C.T. Hasty Jr, Roanoke Rapids Police Department, Roanoke Rapids, NC


Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety Patricia D. Norris, Winston-Salem State University Police, Winston-Salem, NC


Chief of Police John J. Ruppe, Woodland Police Department, Woodland, NC


Chief of Police Jeff Harvet, Atlantic Beach police, Atlantic Beach, NC


Chief of Police Farron Gray Jester, Boonville Police Department, Boonville, NC

Moreover, just so we are clear as to North Carolina’s place in the fight for national carry reciprocity, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC-8) is the primary sponsor of HR 38.

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There Is Neutral And Then There Is Delta Neutral

March 25, 2018 by 6 Comments

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Back in February, Delta Airlines discontinued the airfare discount for NRA members. They did this in the face of a campaign by gun control groups to get corporations to end any and all discounts for NRA members.
Here is what they said at the time on their website in the way of explanation:

Delta’s decision reflects the airline’s neutral status in the current national debate over gun control amid recent school shootings. Out of respect for our customers and employees on both sides, Delta has taken this action to refrain from entering this debate and focus on its business. Delta continues to support the 2nd Amendment.


This is not the first time Delta has withdrawn support over a politically and emotionally charged issue. Last year, Delta withdrew its sponsorship of a theater that staged a graphic interpretation of “Julius Caesar” depicting the assassination of President Trump. Delta supports all of its customers but will not support organizations on any side of any highly charged political issue that divides our nation.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian went a bit further the next week in a memo to Delta employees as reported by the Washington Post.

Caught in a maelstrom over his company’s decision to cut ties with the National Rifle Association, Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian said Friday that his intention had been to “remain neutral” and “remove Delta from this [gun control] debate.” Delta, he said, is now planning to end discounts “for any group of a politically divisive nature.”

He went on to say:

“Our people and our customers have a wide range of views on how to increase safety in our schools and public places, and we are not taking sides,” he wrote. “Our objective in removing any implied affiliation with the NRA was to remove Delta from this debate.”

The key words you keep hearing from Delta are “neutral status”, “not taking sides”, and “refrain from entering this debate”. That was what Ed Bastian and Delta were saying at the beginning of the month.

So what did they do in light of today’s gun control march?

Delta Air Lines has donated three round-trip charter flights that allowed hundreds of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students to participate in the “March for Our Lives” protest against gun violence in Washington.

Delta said the donation is “part of our commitment to supporting the communities we serve.”

 Ed Bastian and Delta Air Lines must be suffering a bout of cognitive dissonance if they think ending a discount for NRA members and then giving three round-trip charter flights to students advocating gun control is neutrality. These actions are about the furthest thing from neutrality that I could imagine.

My last flight with Delta will be in May to attend the NRA Annual Meeting. That ticket was paid for before the change in Delta policy and it is non-refundable. Over the last 20 or so years, 90% or more of my air travel has been on Delta. No more.

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#MeToo Is So Yesterday In Pantheon Of Hollywood Virtue Signaling

March 4, 2018 by 3 Comments

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When it comes to virtue signaling no one does it better than the Hollywood stars. Unfortunately for women who have been sexually assaulted, Hollywood has the attention span of a gnat. In other words, what was hip at the Golden Globes is now passe’ and they have moved on to a new virtue signaling cause.

The new, hip virtue signal at tonight’s Oscars will be an orange pin from Everytown Mommies for Illegal Mayors.

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

Michael Bloomberg’s New York-based gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety has created an anti-gun-violence pin for celebrities to wear to the Oscars on Sunday, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Since the Parkland, Florida, high school massacre that left 17 dead last month, thousands of young people have called upon the organization to support their efforts to advocate for more stringent gun-control laws and other public-safety issues.

According to one Hollywood stylist, the pins have been sent to The Wall Group and other key Hollywood agencies to dole out prior to the red carpet.

The pins will likely display #NeverAgain, the rallying slogan for the movement. Everytown for Gun Safety has not yet responded to THR’s request for confirmation.

So while the stars continue to make movies with gratuitous violence – much of it with firearms – they will continue to virtue signal that they are against “gun violence” (sic).

It should also be noted, as Variety reports, that they will be protected by over 500 armed LAPD officers. As usual, Hollywood is not self-aware enough to recognize the hypocrisy in all of this.

UPDATE: My friend Brandon Combs of the Firearms Policy Coalition sent me a couple of links regarding the hypocrisy of Hollywood and California politicians.